Silk
by Kirishtu
Summary: Orochimaru is tired. He's lost his beloved. His chosen vessel has become more of an ally. Sound was a failure, but now, just maybe, he has the help he needs to make a new village thrive. AU-ish. Part 2 of the Rebirth Quartet
1. Chapter 1

Originally posted on aff 2006-08-07 - 2007-05-30

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All characters (besides the Village Hidden in Silk and others to come in later chapters) belong to Kishimoto-sensei. This story is based off of theory, conjecture, conversation, LARPG's, and my and my beloved muse's brains. This is not to say this is what we think will happen. It is the first of (hopefully) a series of such stories. Some ideas will be outrageous, but it's a fanfiction. Keep an open mind, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

I.

Orochimaru was tired. He was tired of fighting, of hiding in caves out of necessity rather than preference, of losing battles he was sure he could win all because he was too afraid to kill a sixteen year old boy. He was tired of losing his pawns, and he was tired of searching for clues to the whereabouts of his precious person. He was growing tired of Kabuto; the boy was getting increasingly annoying with his schemes and smarter-than-thou attitude. He was growing tired of Sasuke, though he tolerated the boy much more than the silver-haired youth who was unfailingly loyal to him. Sasuke knew when to speak and when to keep silent. He knew when to announce his presence and appear as silently as a ghost. Hell, he knew when he was needed around his sensei or to vacate the premises.

Orochimaru sat heavily on the stone chair that curved out from a stalagmite, slouching, chin resting on his fist. Sasuke was sitting on the floor, his Kusunagi before him, his eyes closed as he seemed to take a nap. In fact, Orochimaru believed the boy was indeed sleeping, since the opportunity to sleep came to them in spurts and even then, rarely. Kabuto was somewhere, and Orochimaru couldn't bring himself to care. Speaking of caring, Orochimaru was starting to care more about Uchiha Sasuke as a person than as his next vessel. And time was running out for him to make the switch. Sasuke was becoming more useful as an ally than as a vessel, and with what he was developing on his own, and what Orochimaru was teaching the boy, Sasuke could very well become Orochimaru's successor. Orochimaru snorted quietly. Successor to what? A legacy of hiding in caves and being reduced to vagabonds with bounties on their heads, looking over their shoulders for hunter nin?

Sasuke gave a twitch and opened whirling Sharingan eyes, on his feet before Orochimaru registered the movement. Snake-like eyes followed the boy's movement, noting his retreat into the shadows, bloody red fading into black. Orochimaru had learned a while ago Sasuke loathed Kabuto, for reasons he had yet to discover. It was enough to drive Sasuke from the room when Kabuto even approached, but Orochimaru realized this time, Sasuke was directly behind him in the shadows. Orochimaru liked that kind of loyalty. Kabuto swept into the room a moment later, a solemn look on his face, and a piece of flesh in his hand. Orochimaru quirked an eyebrow, and watched his subordinate, looking as bored as possible. Kabuto dipped into a deep bow before his master, kneeling down and presenting the piece of skin.

Orochimaru refused to scream in denial.

He refused to get up and demand Kabuto to have definite proof.

Refused to show any emotion.

He reached out for the flesh, took the soft, smooth skin into his hands, running his fingers over the mark in the pale skin.

"Where did you get this, Kabuto-kun?"

"The new desert that appeared two and a half years ago. I'm afraid this is all I found of Kimimaru-kun, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru saw red for a brief moment, before that feeling of tiredness fell on him. The idea of living forever no longer held its splendor for him, and taking over Sasuke's body no longer interested him. He slipped from the chair to his feet, and he swept from the audience chamber to the hall offshoot, into his room. He slammed the door behind him, and sat on the bed, fingers and eyes running over that pale flesh, and that beautiful mark that stained it.

Kimimaru was gone.

He had died fighting.

Fighting for Orochimaru.

For Orochimaru's dream.

Orochimaru grabbed up the pillow that kept his head from smacking stone while he slept and screamed into it.


	2. Chapter 2

II.

Uchiha Sasuke had never regretted a decision in his life since he had defected to Orochimaru. Sasuke forced himself to coldness and indifference to keep from facing the hurt in his heart when he remembered his friends, and one person in particular. He'd advanced far too quickly, he knew, to be safe for long. But with recent events, Orochimaru seemed less inclined to body switch with him, and less inclined to do much else. Sasuke stared at Kabuto from the shadows once Orochimaru had left, noting how smug the silver-haired bastard looked. Sasuke watched him leave, and closed his eyes. He knew that mark; he'd seen it once before, two and a half years ago when he first abandoned Konoha for Oto. It was the sister mark to his own, Kimimaru's mark. Kimimaru had died two and a half years ago. He'd found that out himself. So why was Kabuto bringing forth evidence of that now?

He felt a scowl appear on his face as answers flashed through his mind.

Sasuke closed his eyes, signed his fingers through seals, and enacted one of the spying jutsus he'd taught himself, searching for Kimimaru.

He found the desert, the bone forest that had been erected at the time of death. He noted flowers of pure white growing from the bone, beautiful petals leading to a red center. Sasuke tried digging deeper, tried going beneath the layer of sand that surrounding the bones.

Nothing.

Not even a bone fragment.

But, just faintly, a bit of chakra residue.

Which meant Kimimaru had been here, but had been moved. Could Kabuto have done such a thing? He certainly was capable, and Sasuke knew the other nin had been vying with Kimimaru for Orochimaru's attentions. But it left the question of why would Kabuto move Kimimaru's body from its own tomb just to get rid of a rival? And a dead rival at that. Sasuke focused on that trace of chakra, and tugged mentally on it. There was an answering tug, miles away. The jutsu took him there, and for a moment, Sasuke had a bird's eye view of the port town, before he plummeted, down through streets, stopping at an establishment that was a tavern and a brothel rolled into one. His jutsu took him inside, and he looked around, noting things and searching for his prey. He found it then, hidden in a shaded corner, alone.

Sasuke drew his mind back, dispersed the jutsu, and moved to his own chamber to pack. He changed his clothes to a lighter material that doubled as a civilian outfit, and pulled back his hair. The strands hand grown longer, and had fallen from their childhood gravity-defying spikyness to a straighter length. Sasuke supposed now, he looked almost like a smaller version of Itachi. He paused a moment later, just outside of Orochimaru's chamber, realizing that he hadn't growled when he thought of his elder brother's name. So what did _that_ mean? Surely he still wanted to kill his brother. That was why he still existed. As Sasuke tried to wrap his mind around that thought, he shook his head. He was going to kill Itachi. He was going to make him suffer.

Yeah, right. That sounded convincing.

He'd been changing ever since he joined up with Orochimaru. Killing Itachi just wasn't... as important as he thought before. What a concept, that.

The teenager raised a fist and pounded on the stone door. He wasn't surprised when he didn't get a response. Orochimaru _would_ be sulking. And Orochimaru wasn't going to listen, especially to Sasuke, who just had words, while Kabuto had proof. Orochimaru trusted Kabuto, and Sasuke still had loyalties elsewhere than solely with Orochimaru. Which meant if Orochimaru thought Sasuke was lying, he would be killed, chosen vessel or not.

Die a horribly painful, most likely stabbity, death.

"I'm going out, Sensei." Sasuke said in his usual tone, knowing the elder heard him quite clearly. There was a muffled sound from within the darkened room, the noise soon accompanied by the eldest's voice, one of acquiescence.

"Just be back," came the rather tired order, before silence fell once more, the former sannin no doubt curled on the pile of silks that was his bed, set to bite off the head of the next thing to irritate him that day - and quite literally.

Quite frankly, the man was tired, and not just physically though it added to his temper. The bones had only served to drive home how badly they had failed, how this dank little cave was out of necessity rather than preference.

The bones were also a reminder of things lost - and badly. It was not only humiliating to be beaten, but there was the added depression.

Depression was worse than boredom, and he hated it. He hated a lot of things right now. Konoha, Kabuto, Sasuke just for _being_ there, and Kimimaru, for dying.

Unfair to be sure, but at the moment he didn't care. Being angry felt better than being empty, even if it meant envisioning those pretty aqua eyes and wanting to tear them out of their sockets.

Sasuke left the hide-out, bounding through trees until he reached the road. Keen eyes surveyed the road, checking for suspicious characters. Ninja would normally stick to the trees and forests, but hunter nin were special. They were unpredictable, which made most hunted nin very nervous. Sasuke didn't want to take a chance, the trees growing sparser the further up the road, and more travelers being down on the rocks and dirt anyway. Live cover. Sasuke dropped from his branch, and waded into the crowd, following a merchant's cart before darting around it and ahead, no more than a breeze to those he passed. Moving this fast would more than likely get him noticed if there were ninja watching, but he didn't have the time to waste, and trips like this were usually planned well in advance, with every contingency planned for. As it was, Sasuke was running blind.

Kimimaru had been gone for nearly three years. Only now, Kabuto comes forward? Sasuke thought it strange.

He slowed just before that port town, assimilating himself into entering traffic, passing through large guarded gates, pretending to be an every day traveler. His appearance had changed so much over the last few years he doubted anyone would stop him and demand to confirm if he was Uchiha Sasuke. And if anyone did, well, there were two ways out of that. One involved running as fast and as far as his legs could carry him. The other involved a very stabbity end.

Sasuke preferred to avoid both, if he could help it.

From memory alone, Sasuke reconstructed the path his spying jutsu allowed him to see, moving along at a sedated pace. Here, he wasn't Uchiha Sasuke, missing nin. Here, he was just Uchiha Sasuke, wanderer. Either way, he was still at risk. Which just made those previous thoughts insignificant, didn't it. The boy sighed quietly as he moved along through the crowd of merchants and villagers, farmers and ronin, children and yakuza, wandering toward the tavern where he had found that lingering chakra residue.

Sasuke slipped into the building, gazing around at everything, dark eyes revealing nothing as he moved, pretending to be a new patron as he moved along the shadows, finally slowing when he saw his target. The pale creature was sitting amongst pillows, robes wrapped tightly around the thin body, drawing gazes to pale eyes and white hair. Kimimaru looked like he hadn't aged a day.

Sasuke moved over to him, and slid into the booth, canting his head as a bone knife was pressed to his side.

"Did _he _send you?"

"You're jumping to conclusions. I'm here on behalf of Orochimaru."

Kimimaru's knife jerked a bit, pressing the knife harder into Sasuke's side before relaxing, the bone retreating back into his skin. Red-rimmed eyes fell onto black, watching the shorter nin curiously, appraising him, treating him like a schema to be taken apart and put back together.

"Orochimaru-sama...?" Kimimaru whispered. "You came on your own then?"

Sasuke nodded, relaxing back into the booth's chair, letting his body rest. Kimimaru glanced at the younger male, and then down into his lap.

"He doesn't know, does he?"

"No." Sasuke replied, eyes closing to half-mast. "But, I'm sure you want to go back to him."

"I do..."

"Then what's stopping you? Surely these people don't own you?"

Kimimaru shook his head, fingers twining. He didn't say another word, looking right at Sasuke. The former Konoha ninja nodded a little, and moved to leave the booth.

"A healer nin should go to where he is needed."

Kimimaru paused, nodded, and moved after Sasuke, the pair leaving the tavern, and heading back to the hide-out. Kimimaru studied the enigma that was Uchiha Sasuke, mainly because he had told no one of his change of being a killer to a medical ninja. And Sasuke had noticed right away. They spoke little, and did not stop to rest, as Kimimaru wanted to get home as soon as possible. And home was the person to whom his heart belonged. He'd been away a long time, and now, Kimimaru was sure, there would be terrible repercussions.


	3. Chapter 3

III.

Kimimaru had always wondered how he survived that day. He had felt himself die. He had known he was dead. And then he found himself in a school for training medical nin, learning things he had thought he'd never need. Three years was a short time for someone training to be a doctor to become certified and registered, but Kimimaru had always been a fast learner. It had been something Orochimaru had prided him on. And now he was trying to figure out how Sasuke had figured out he was a medical ninja without him telling the darker boy. Sasuke was an enigma, a puzzle that Kimimaru just couldn't figure out.

Sasuke led him into the cave they had chosen as a hideout, and Kimimaru could sense Orochimaru deep in the cave, the chakra muted. Sasuke pushed Kimimaru toward that direction and vanished, leaving Kimimaru to make the decision himself. The bone manipulator stepped down the darkened tunnels, following his sensei's chakra signature. He stopped before the stone door, and raised his fist to knock. There was no answer, so he knocked again. And again.

There was nothing but silence for a few minutes, the pale one left to wonder if he had even been heard, if the elder creature even wanted to answer, any number of ifs and possibilities to make his head spin. Again he stepped forward, hand raised to knock, only to have the door pulled away, something very solid crashing into his stomach and sending him off his feet, into the wall opposite the door. The choked gasp of breath wasn't enough to carry the following cry, the sound strangled as sharp teeth sank - angrily - into his throat.

The teeth were gone a second later, the elder Sannin stepping back, golden eyes fixed on the bone manipulator at his feet, staring.

Seconds passed, and the sheer intensity held the pair of them there, the snake-like orbs slowly widening, further and further.

There was movement then, the elder creature raising his hand, pointing furiously at the open door he himself had just come through.

"In. Get in. _Now_."

Kimimaru didn't argue, his own eyes just as wide as he skirted around the elder, darting into the dark room and spinning when he heard the door slam behind him, leaving the bone manipulator alone in the dark.

Orochimaru was livid.

Victim number one. Uchiha Sasuke. Forcefully pulled from the task of cleaning his weapons and pushed to a wall, the glare cementing him there if the hand at his collar was not enough.

"Start explaining. Now."

Sasuke watched him with that unflinching emotionless mask he wore constantly, quite aware that the elder Sannin could kill him just by twitching his hand.

"I don't trust Kabuto." Sasuke whispered finally. He canted his head toward the hall Orochimaru had come from, watching the golden eyes slide in that direction and then back again. "I found Kimimaru with a jutsu of mine. I wondered why Kabuto would come forward now, three years after the fact, with proof of Kimimaru's death. And why Kabuto of all people, would be able to find a dead body in order to steal bones and skin."

Sasuke tilted his head, showing the own mark on his shoulder. "How Kabuto could get that sister mark to mine? Did it ever occur to you, that no matter how loyal he is, Kabuto would never pass up a chance to get rid of Kimimaru or me. He's more than loyal to you, Sensei. He's in love with you."

Orochimaru's grip slackened, and Sasuke squirmed out of that hold, vanishing into the darkness, words echoing in the elder's ears.

"Besides, you of all people should know pigskin from human skin."

Orochimaru stepped back, watching the shadows, knowing the Uchiha boy was still nearby. The fury was gone, rather, it was no longer aimed at the boy, the serpentine orbs narrowing at the shadows.

"Is that so," the sentence was breathed out in a low hiss, the elder turning away to seek out his second victim, with all intents of making him scream.

Certainly not in the good way, either. No, that was Kimimaru's privilege for later. Right now he wanted Kabuto gone, and in pain.

The order of those two being subject to discussion.

Orochimaru followed Sasuke's movements toward his stalagmite chair, knowing the young shinobi would stay in the darkness he favoured so much lately. Orochimaru slid into that throne, crossing his legs at the knee and steepling his fingers before his lips, which were pressed in a thin line. Sasuke was somewhere behind him, and Orochimaru could feel his student's chakra ebbing and flowing with anticipation. Kabuto was drawing ever closer, without ever knowing of his fate. Orochimaru liked that sense of irony.

"Do nothing, Sasuke."

"Hai, Sensei."

Orochimaru watched the silver-haired youth waltz into the chamber, that irritating smile plastered on his face. He didn't know Kimimaru was safely tucked away in the back of the cave, hidden from prying eyes. He didn't know that Orochimaru knew of his treachery. Orochimaru cared for no one who betrayed him. Had he ever trusted Kabuto? No. He had begun to, but then he had begun to trust Sasuke, and Sasuke had returned Kimimaru, the person he trusted most, to him. Orochimaru let a smile grow behind his fingers.

"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto began, bowing before the ex-Sannin, looking up at the darker male.

_Suspect anything yet,_ _Kabuto-kun?_ Orochimaru wondered, rising from the throne, making a gesture behind his back to the Uchiha boy, to still him. He wanted this moment for himself, but there was no reason his apprentice couldn't watch.

"Kabuto, tell me. How hard was it for you to find that particular skin and those bones?"

Kabuto blinked. "Several days, Orochimaru-sama. I had to dig through much sand."

"How much sand?"

Kabuto blinked, confused. "I don't know. Ten feet, maybe more."

Orochimaru settled his weight back on one leg and put his hands on his hips. It wasn't a threatening gesture, but Kabuto seemed to take it as a threat anyway, the silver haired youth tensing. Sasuke moved, but Orochimaru waved him back.

"Ten feet?" Came the sibilant hiss. "Maybe more...? You're not sure, are you, Kabuto?"

Orochimaru lashed out before the boy could run, pale fingers wrapping around the boy's neck, choking off just enough air to make the boy want to fight for survival but not give up on living. Kabuto grabbed that thin wrist, tugging on it as if to free that iron grip from his throat. Orochimaru was firm, bruising that expanse of flesh, digging nails into his throat to warn him.

"Ten feet. Three years on the run and now you decide to go and find evidence of Kimimaru's death? Tell me Kabuto, how stupid do you think I am...?"

Orochimaru didn't give Kabuto a chance to answer, throwing the boy across the room, toward the exit, stalking after him like a hunting feline, golden eyes glowing bright in the darkness. His foot caught the boy in the ribs, sending him further across the room, closer to the exit, stalking after his prey again.

"Three years. Have you noticed, Kabuto-kun, that this place is miles away from that forest? How long would it take a nin to get from here to there? With us on the run like we are, days of back-tracking, I would assume."

"Orochimaru-sama...! I would never...!"

"Ah, but you did." Orochimaru grabbed the boy by his hair, hauling him to his feet, nails digging into flesh when he grabbed thin shoulders, drawing blood. "You did. What else would you do, Kabuto?"

Orochimaru threw Kabuto out of the cave, and the boy sailed into a tree, hitting the trunk with a bone-breaking thud. He crumpled to the ground, coughing up blood. Orochimaru moved over to the boy, following him when he struggled to his feet, chasing him through the forest. But Kabuto had never been hunted before, not by Orochimaru. Not by someone who'd been hunted most of his adult life.

"Run, little Kabuto," Orochimaru sung out in a haunting croon. "You forget, I have friends here."

He lashed out to his left, just above shoulder level, Kusunagi burying her blade into the boy's shoulder, wrenching it from the socket when the former Sannin removed his blade. Kabuto wasn't given a chance to scream as Orochimaru whipped around, slamming the hilt into the boy's jaw, snapping it. He wasn't finished, far from it in fact. Orochimaru was just getting started. And when he was finished, only he knew. Kabuto felt his arm snap at the elbow as Orochimaru lifted him by his radius, the elder's fingers penetrating skin to wrap around the bone, and this time he screamed. Orochimaru was delighted. He twisted that forearm until the palm of the silver-haired youth's hand could touch flat against his shoulder, and kicked him in the ribs with enough force to break already cracked ribs. Again Orochimaru kicked his former subordinate, rather amused at the game of push, swing, push again. It was a pattern that never seemed to get old.

But the former Sannin soon grew bored with his little game, and tossed Kabuto down, moving over to crouch beside him, examining his nails as he hung over the horribly wounded body.

"I won't kill you. That would be too easy. But you won't be able to move your arm if you don't get it set right away. Oh yes. And so you don't forget," Orochimaru whispered into Kabuto's ear as he moved to make gouges in his cheeks with his nails. He said nothing as he left the boy lying bleeding on the side of the road. He just took the Oto headband the boy wore and threw it somewhere ahead of him with more strength than he possessed, cutting ties with the lying little bastard. If Kabuto died, Orochimaru would feel no remorse. Neither would Sasuke, who waited for him at the mouth of the cave, and who followed him inside, obediently setting about to pack up what belongings they had in preparation to move.

Orochimaru let himself into his room and stared at Kimimaru for the longest while, the medical ninja watching him back, head canting in regard.

"Pack your things. We're going on a little trip."


	4. Chapter 4

IV.

Rain pelted the oiled skins they wore, the trio moving beneath trees. Orochimaru held onto Kimimaru's hand, Sasuke following behind. They were taking a risk, traveling through the Land of Fire, as Konoha ninja could show up at any moment, and thus foil the plan they'd started to develop over their fortnight of travel. There was a stretch of land between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, south of the Land of Grass. As far as they knew, it was unclaimed land, and according to Sasuke, who had gone to scout ahead, there were no signs of a daimyo or a ruling ninja clan. It was a perfect opportunity. But they had many miles to go, and then their dream was only half-started. Half-baked, Sasuke had commented one night over a dinner of jerky and water. They kept moving, resting only when they could no longer stand hunger, pretending to be civilians when meeting other travelers on the road.

They crossed the border without incident, into the country the trio were going to claim for their own. Huge trees rose above their heads, blocking sunshine and rain alike, and they shed their cloaks, the warmth and breeze making them unnecessary. Orochimaru gazed up at the canopy as they walked, going deeper into the country they were going to call home. The higher branches were covered in a silvery moss, threads of it stretching for miles from a single tangle.

"It looks like silk, doesn't it?" Kimimaru asked, coming to a stop in a wide clearing, Sasuke moving in a little bit further.

"This clearing is wide enough to hold several houses and defend if there's a wall." Sasuke paused on the perimeter, looking up into the trees. "We could create tree houses, rope bridges… If we extend the wall depending on how much our village grows, it should work."

Orochimaru dropped his pack with those of his companions, looking at the Uchiha boy before looking up at the canopy. He moved over to his student, trying to imagine what the young man saw. He had a point though. A wall and gates would serve as perfect protection along with a regular guard. And with most of the village high in the trees, off the floor, lives wouldn't be lost in a surprise attack by an enemy. Fire would be their worst enemy, so the village would need a constant water source to prevent a wildfire from destroying the trees, and consequently, the village. Homes would be built on the ground for civilians, and those nin who would prefer to live on terra firma rather than the branches. Children certainly couldn't live that high up.

"A tower in the center?" Kimimaru supplied. "One for the leader of our village."

"A hospital as well." Orochimaru countered, pinning his bone manipulator with a stare. "We'll need that and shelters, no matter how shabby, before that tower. Defenses as well."

"Population." Sasuke added. "We're starting a village. Not a refugee camp."

"Do you know any ninja who would want to join us?" Orochimaru asked, arms folding over his chest as he stared at the Uchiha boy, watching Sasuke through black strands.

"…They might be a little… old." Sasuke replied. "Dead, in fact."

Orochimaru shrugged. He could work with dead. "Bring them here. Anyone you've met in the past you can find. Kimimaru and I can do the rest of the work. The more people we get, dead or alive, the sooner we can start building."

Sasuke nodded, sighing a little bit. "I'll leave now. I'll try not to take too long."

"See that you don't." Orochimaru ordered, and Sasuke vanished as he'd been taught to do, rushing back toward the Land of Fire, and the lands beyond. Orochimaru turned to his medic, meeting those soft understanding eyes. Kimimaru only smiled, nodding a little bit, and together they moved to start setting up a lean-to, starting a little shantytown of sorts while they waited for Sasuke to return with his burdens. They said little to each other, neither needing words. Instead, just simple proximity was enough, the paler often finding any excuse he could to brush their fingers together, or press against his master. Orochimaru in turn caressed those fingers and returned those loving touches, reassuring the bone manipulator almost. They finished their meager shelter and sat down to wait, resting against one another and whispering plans for their future.

Sasuke rushed through the Land of Fire once again as he made his way toward the Land of Waves. How badly decomposed would a body be after three years? What if an animal had dug up those bodies? Grave robbers? Sasuke shook his head and kept moving, the cowl of his cloak kept wrapped around his face. He made it to that familiar forest in the Land of Waves, and began to search for those old graves. It was hours - it could have been days - before Sasuke came across rusted metal sticking out of the ground, the earth around the metal undisturbed. Undisturbed or not, there was still the chance that the bodies were no longer there, or just bones. He began to dig, first with the grave he knew to belong to a boy not that much older than himself now, shifting earth away until he manages to find a patch of pale skin. Sasuke moved the dirt away from Haku's face, sighing just a bit as the body had not worsened to just bare bones in the few years he had been buried. He hauled Haku's body out of the hole and filled it in to keep anyone from realizing his presence before digging up Zabuza. In no worse condition, though Zabuza did seem to be a little chewed on, Sasuke lay Zabuza's body beside Haku's as he worked to fill in the hole left by removing the body.

He turned back to the bodies behind him, watching them for a good hour or so. It was almost a pain, Sasuke thought, grimacing. He moved to pick up Zabuza, settling the older man's body on his back as he lifted Haku into his arms. Travel would be so much slower now, but by the time he returned to Orochimaru, he figured some sort of shelter would be built. He moved as fast as he could with his burden, refusing to let fatigue, or hunger, slow him. It did seem to take so much longer returning than it did setting out, but Sasuke was determined. He reached their upstart little village in the making by nightfall a week later than the day he had set out, all but dragging himself into the village, staring around at the little cabins that had popped up while he was away. Only three, and then small, but then they had just started this project.

Kimimaru emerged from one cabin first, followed by Orochimaru, the pair moving over to Sasuke to relieve him of the bodies he carried. Orochimaru tossed Zabuza's body over his shoulder as he lifted Haku and Kimimaru lay a hand on Sasuke's shoulders.

"Go rest. You've done well, Sasuke. Thank you."

Sasuke gave a small smile in return and left the pair on their own. He certainly didn't need to know what the hell was going to happen. In fact, he didn't even want to know. He entered an empty cabin and found a futon to curl up on. Sasuke was asleep before his head even touched the pillow set on the mattress.


	5. Chapter 5

V.

It was lucky. Under normal circumstances, being buried in the country of Waves would do horrible things to a body—all that moisture, coupled with the land's typical tropical climate, would send decomposition into overdrive. Given the time of year – in the middle of sticky, humid summer – added to how long the bodies had been buried… well. It was nothing short of a miracle that flesh looked as good as it did when Sasuke brought the corpses in.

Of course, Orochimaru was fascinated. It was a morbid hobby, studying the effects of death on a human being. It was what allowed him to cheat it time and time again. Given the state of decomposition (or lack thereof), not only would this boy assist them in raising a new village, but in the arts of preservation of life. Certainly useful, given the size of the group at the moment.

The smaller of the two bodies was shifted, placed on a mat to keep the dirt away as much as possible, and he began his work. First, the delicate operation of removing clothing, cut away bit by bit by the smallest of cuts through fabric. It was made more difficult along the area of the boy's left pectoral muscle, where the killing wound was. It was difficult to miss, unless you were blind. One doesn't take a gaping hole to the chest and survive. Briefly, he wondered about what could have caused this, especially in battle as Sasuke had summarized. Rather than asking the other about it, the man leaned closer to investigate himself, snakelike orbs peering into the mess of bloodied flesh, noting the burns, the blackened places that were literally cooked, threads of cloth stuck to the gore.

In the back of his mind, he sighed in frustration. Bodies that weren't completely mutilated were easier to raise, since the corpse itself was reusable. Messes like this, however, took some extra thought, as whatever damage was done needed to be reversed before bringing a soul back.

Water washed away long-dried blood, leaving pale skin untouched and ready for the examining, to see the extent of the damage done. If organs needed replacing, this could mean quite a few headaches. The sheer size of the hole made it easier to investigate without the need of further cutting, and simple pins kept the skin back to allow lighting inside. Orochimaru was relieved to see that, while singed, major organs were otherwise in one piece. It was the sheer blood loss and trauma that had killed the child, an entire section of the major artery gone. Just connect those and…

Shit. Gold eyes picked up on thinner, almost invisible connections, those having been delicate to begin with to withstand such brutal force. The chakra pathways centering around the area had been completely severed, leaving any paths to the boy's left arm useless. No jutsu, unless he could find a way to fix the pathways, something that made the replacement of organs seem all the easier.

First thing was first. Hours seemed to fly by as he worked, miniscule instruments carefully piecing the boy back together, removing unsalvageable cells from the body and adapting the others to functioning without the help of those missing. Dead blood was removed, a tedious process done by channeling chakra through the circulatory system, liquidating the cells once more and pushing it from the body, leaving the tubes clean for fresh blood to be made. Once the body was prepared, the real work began, the elder male bending over the corpse, willing that dead heart to beat, to create new blood to replace what was taken, pale blue flesh slowly turning to a gentle rose. Orochimaru reached for the face, then, tilting the head back and forcing the jaw open, leaving the airways open to allow the lungs to fill with oxygen. He could feel himself tiring, energy placed fully into breathing for another creature as well as himself, working the once-dead organs into the rhythm of taking in oxygen and pumping blood.

Slowly but surely, chakra moved outward in a network, waking the rest of the boy's system into life once more. Lucky, so lucky, bacteria and other decomposers hadn't even touched the child, it was all to easy to remind flesh of what it once was, getting the rhythm back before he focused on his greatest problem: the brain.

Borrowed chakra could only do so much if the boy's brain refused to jumpstart. All the effort taken thus far would be little more than an elaborate embalming project. It was a rare event in which Orochimaru prayed. He was praying now.

Luckily enough, almost immediately after he began to fuel them, sparks began to fly, electrical messages leaping over synapses, the complex system coming to life once more. Orochimaru sat back with a sigh, elated almost to the point of a jig. But even with how well the body had taken to life again, it would be a long while before the child would wake, and given the state of his body, even longer before he would be allowed to walk around on his own.

A blanket to cover the boy, and he was moving on to the larger corpse. Pale lips thinned in a grimace as he took note of the beating this one had gone through, at the various lacerations and puncture wounds. Something to make one cringe even further was that fact that they were focused primarily on the man's back. And yet, different stages of clotting suggested that despite physical trauma, this creature had kept going, had kept moving like a berserker even as more weapons found a home in his flesh. Orochimaru was painfully reminded of what could drive a person to behave that way, Kimimaru's being one of many faces to come to mind. An act like that was perfectly deliberate, an act of sheer desperation. This man knew he was going to die.

Even with the various lacerations and other injuries, compared to the boy before, it was nothing short of a cakewalk to repair. The most damage that had been done was to major veins and arteries, and that was simple to fix, unlike replacing an entire section of human flesh completely. Within the space of a few hours, the snakelike man found himself feeding chakra through the corpse, doing much the same as he had with the boy previously. A whispered prayer in the back of his mind, and the body was working on its own, sustaining life once more and working hard to keep itself stable.

Orochimaru sat back then, satisfied. They would have to monitor the pair to guarantee a high survival rate, but that would be easy enough. All that was left now was to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

VI.

Newly-working eyes opened for the first time a few days after Orochimaru had completed his work, said owner of eyes pushing the body up to sit, to stare around, to judge and question where he was. Haku found himself sitting on a soft bed, covered by warm blankets that had the faint smell of roses. The building he was in reminded him of a simple medical station that was usually set up on the side of a road, to help injured travelers and let them rest while they recovered. Still, despite that look, the building seemed to be in the stages of repair, or construction. Construction, Haku decided, when he heard the sounds of hammers outside. Cautiously, he rose, testing out his newly working limbs, moving gingerly. A part of him knew he had been dead. He'd seen the afterlife, and he'd seen what was waiting for him. It hadn't been an afterlife that pleased him, simply because Zabuza hadn't been there. Speaking of Zabuza…

Haku turned in a complete circle before he spotted the other bed, looking recently vacated. He moved cautiously over, touched the blankets and found them to still be warm. These had the faint scent of Zabuza, that smell of rainwater and pine. If there had been danger where they were, Zabuza would have taken him away. Right? Haku moved to the doorway of the evolving hospital and gazed outside at the village. Houses, not just shacks and small cabins, were being built, some actually finished or in the process of being finished. There was a wall being constructed around the trees instead of cutting the huge obstructions down, and when Haku craned his head to look up in the canopy, he could see rope bridges, and homes being constructed in the branches. The thick leaves of the trees were covered in a fine, silvery thread, almost like a spider's web.

"It's called the Village of Silk, because of that," Zabuza said softly, sitting behind Haku in a rocking chair. The boy whirled a bit, a sheepish smile on his face, even as he moved over to his beloved master, purposely settling in his lap. Zabuza only sighed and said nothing, settling back to watch a group of men and a few women dart from place to place carrying materials and tools, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy.

"I see you two are awake," A softer voice said from the side, both of the Mist nins turning their heads to watch Kimimaru approach. "I'm glad. It was touch and go for a while."

Zabuza merely made a sound, leaving Haku to wonder where the normal retort for such a comment went. Kimimaru moved over to the pair, examining both, and because Zabuza didn't seem to be bothered with the pale one's prodding, Haku let his friend examine himself as well. Satisfied, Kimimaru drew back, folding his hands in the sleeves of his kimono.

"You'll probably be weak for the next few days, so take it easy. We'll keep you fed and well, and once you get your strength back, you'll more than likely have to go through some kind of physical therapy. I've reconnected your chakra pathways the best I could, but for now,"

"We know, Kimimaru," Zabuza said, not quite interrupting the pale killer-turned-medic. The bone manipulator only smiled and nodded, moving into the hospital to deal with something else, Haku figured. The boy looked at Zabuza, the elder nin looking different without his customary bandages wrapped around his face. Zabuza only watched Haku back, head tilting a bit.

"Orochimaru got it into his head to start a new village," Zabuza began to explain as Haku settled against him again. "He explained to me when I woke. He, Kimimaru, and Sasuke are making this happen. In this village, orphans find family, missing nin become ninja again, and outlaws find haven. That's why there are other people here besides us."

"And he had Sasuke find us to bring us back?"

Zabuza made a sound. "Perhaps. Normally, I wouldn't trust the snake as far as I can throw him, but he seems sincere about this. He calls this land Suzaku no Kuni."

"Land of the Phoenix," Haku translated, watching the men pull up the wall of one house, leaving it needing only the roof and other simple matters.

"Where those who need a home can find it,"

The pair watched the men and women work until exhaustion over took them again, both falling asleep sitting together in that rocking chair. Orochimaru approached later, but at a gesture from Kimimaru, left the two where they were. He stood with Kimimaru on the porch of the forming hospital and watched the group of men and women work. In all, now, there were seventeen inhabitants of Silk, including Orochimaru's group of five. The group working on the house currently consisted of a young man named Risukku, a missing nin from Snow who had a severe gambling addiction, though he never lost; a young lady named Kura-ou who had been a former whore and had escaped her master. She was skilled in making clothes and a decent chef; her lover Shousei and his twin brother Kaoru, wanderers with a knack for building with nature instead of against it; Shoumei, a young medic nin in training, who while helping with the building, she was also learning under Kimimaru's watchful eye. The other seven whose names Orochimaru didn't know were missing nin and other bounties that only wanted a safe place to live. Silk offered that and more, and Orochimaru found more loyalty given to him from the people he offered that wanted safety than he had ever found in his underlings.

Already, more than half of the defensive wall had been constructed, built around and with the trees than against them, specifically by Kaoru and Shousei. The tree houses were still underway, as most of the building was taking place on the ground. And only the qualified ninja could get that far off the ground without the elevator system that was still being constructed for those who weren't nin. There were five completed and as of yet unfurnished houses, six more with their frames built, and two that only needed roofs. There was a garden off to the side, growing vegetables and a small orchard to the left of that. Sasuke brought them the other supplies that they needed as well as information for nin that they could still recruit. Orochimaru had begun a list of a few names, two or three he knew the locations to personally. He would go after them and he would send Sasuke after the few he didn't. Kimimaru would remain in Silk to help rehabilitate Haku and get the young ninja ready for missions. Zabuza would remain to help build when Haku went out, despite protests that the two were partners. The older nin's strength was needed to help build what remained to be built. So as more people came to Silk to make their home, the larger the village became, and soon Sasuke and Haku were being sent out on missions to bring in food and materials, as well as ninja that could help teach the young children that were coming in with families, or on their own. Orphans were adopted by those who could take care of them, but most of the children who came in were old enough to live on their own and the older children without parents obtained materials to build a home near the back of Silk in which to house younger orphans, the older ones taking responsibility for them.

Orochimaru watched his new village take shape, watched a school for children, shinobi and not, slowly appear, along with a tower for his own use and the rest of the hospital. The village was complete soon enough, and it became a simple joy to look out the window of his office and see children running about under the watchful eyes of the villagers. Orochimaru turned to Sasuke then, watching his apprentice leaf through the papers that littered the former Sannin's desk. Sharingan eyes flicked up to piercing yellow and for a moment Orochimaru thought he was staring at Itachi. Sasuke had gotten to the point he wore the Sharingan nearly all the time. He'd grown in power and Orochimaru felt a little proud that he'd helped Sasuke achieve such a ranking. Sasuke was certainly jounin level by now. He shook his head and moved to sit down in his chair, fondling the outfit that Kura-ou had sewn for him and his office.

"It will take time to get these back," Sasuke said. "I'll be able to bring them back one at a time. And it's a problem with the last two. They sort of cremated his body and he was reduced to bits by sand."

"Shit," Orochimaru sighed and rubbed at his face. "All right. Just find those and bring them back."

Sasuke nodded and vanished in a puff of smoke and burning ozone, leaving Orochimaru alone in his office. While Sasuke was away, Orochimaru and Kimimaru had a little game to play. How long would it take to find two souls so long dead?


	7. Chapter 7

VII

It had been risky to perform such a feat on the cusp of death, but somehow, he had done it. Deft fingers pulled shortened red strands away from brown eyes, pushing the strands back under the bandanna he wore. Sasori shifted, turning the doll in his hands to finish carving out the face. The village he lived in now was barely that, just a few huts strung together and lived in by people who didn't want to be found. Sasori glanced up from his doll to look inside his own small home at the multitude of clay figurines he'd collected since arriving here. Perhaps it was a reminder, something to ease the pain in his heart, at deceiving Deidara, in abandoning him so callously.

It wasn't like he could return to Akatsuki now, anyway.

The doll-maker turned back to his project, tools scraping gently over wood. It was peaceful here and Sasori had grown to like the quiet, but a part of him longed for the rough-and-tumble days of Akatsuki. So now he worked on dolls the few children of this shantytown brought him and sold a few dolls to travelers that came through but didn't stay. He longed for news, but he never asked, not wanting an assassin to finish the job his grandmother tried to do. He almost wished Deidara would find him. Then he could die without regrets.

The wood of the dolls face broke in his hands and Sasori stared for quite a while at the splinters of wood on and in his fingertips. His pain receptors weren't working again. Sasori tilted his head. He would have to fix that.

He rose from his tatami mat and entered his home to pull the splinters from his synthetic flesh, managing a few winces here and there when the wood shard was particularly deep. He set the splinters down on a small table, attention on those still left in his hand.

"I don't remember inviting you in here," Sasori whispered softly, turning to his unannounced guest. An eyebrow rose when he saw familiar Sharingan eyes in an unfamiliar face. A half-smile then and Sasori pulled the last splinter from his hand.

"You must be Uchiha Sasuke."

The boy smiled a bit and yet that only put Sasori a little more on edge. The doll-maker shifted, facing the boy fully to better defend himself. He needn't have bothered, Sasori realized after a moment, when Sasuke held out a scroll to him, tied and sealed in village colours Sasori had never seen before. The redhead took the scroll from Sasuke and opened it slowly, eyes flicking over the flowing script. The former Akatsuki looked up at Sasuke after a moment of silence and tilted his head.

"Village Hidden in Silk? Sounds interesting,"

"More interesting than this place."

"How old are you now?"

Sasuke blinked, head tilting at the odd question. Sasori waited patiently, watching those Sharingan eyes without fear. Sasuke was silent for a long while, watching Sasori with a guarded gaze. The former Akatsuki in turn studied Sasuke, waiting, watching.

"I'm eighteen," Sasuke said finally, watching the older nin, curious as to the question. Sasori only hummed and nodded absently, almost to himself.

"I'll go with you. Who else do you have to retrieve?"

Sasuke's head canted, watching Sasori pick through his belongings the redhead studying each object he picked up, tossing a few away and keeping others.

"Just a body. If it's too decomposed, I'll return with nothing."

Sasori hummed again and stood up again and stood up to fetch a bag, dropping his chosen objects into the cloth sack. The redhead chose a few small dolls then, three dropped into the bag and the last tossed toward Sasuke, who caught it deftly with both hands. Sasuke's eyebrow rose at the little geisha doll, his fingers sliding over her painted face as he looked at Sasori. The former Akatsuki said nothing and only led the way from the little hovel and away from the little village that was barely large enough to be called such.

Sasori and Sasuke did not talk as they leapt through the trees, careful not to disturb leaves if they could help it, moving into Hi no Kuni, keeping out of sight, out of range, watching and waiting. Sasori learned more about Silk when they did stop and one initiated conversation. Silk, Kinugakure, had grown considerably in two and a half years. The outer wall now encompassed several acres of land, though all of Silk in its entirety could fit inside Konoha with at least an acre left over. Inside the village, near the front gate, there was a merchant district with housing for the travelers and two distinct restaurants, the middle reserved for market and other businesses for the common people. To the west and east walls were the homes of the villagers, both commoner and ninja, though most of the older shinobi resided in the tree houses that were hidden in the leaves above the village. After those homes, on the west side, was a school building for shinobi and non-shinobi and an orphanage; on the east side, the hospital and a tower. The Yunkage's tower, Sasuke said, doubled as Orochimaru's office and a training center for shinobi of all ranks, as well as the missions' office. Yunkage was Orochimaru's chosen title, a mixture of languages and words that presented the meaning of luck.

A forge was in the process of being built for the village's personal use, but several hitai-ates had been created, with Sasuke being one to wear such a thing. They symbol of Silk was unique, Sasori thought, fingers brushing over the metal of the hitai-ate, admiring the craftsmanship. Sasuke had left him with the telltale marker when the younger man had vanished into a dense copse of threes precariously close to the Konoha border, disguised as a mourner. Sasori traced the symbol, smiling. A large circle began the etching with three smaller circles east, west, and north around the large one. Below the east and west circles were two crescents, back to back with one another. A beautiful interpretation of the sun rising over the moon with the three elements that brought life to earth, air, and water.

Sasori looked up when Sasuke returned, carrying a shrouded form. The puppet master only tilted his head and accepted the burden as Sasuke took back his hitai-ate, tying it around his forehead. Sasori only nodded an approval when Sharingan eyes caught him staring. Sasuke took the shrouded body back from Sasori and the pair began the trek back to Silk. It seemed to take longer than the pair would have liked, carrying their shrouded burden and exposed to the elements, hiding from any near-by ninja. It wasn't that they were afraid of being caught; it was that they merely wanted to keep a low profile, as any person did.

It was that secrecy that allowed the pair to come upon a campfire, gingerly tended by two shadowed forms, one slightly smaller than the other, arms wrapped around his middle. Sasuke's eyes went wide in recognition and he dropped silently beside the Demon Brothers, Sasori following suit. It was Meizu who drew his kunai on the approaching pair, stepping in front of his elder brother to protect him. Sasuke's Sharingan picked up why, Gozu's arms covering an abdominal wound, one that needed attention far beyond field healing if the elder Onikyoudai was to survive. Meizu's hand was trembling, his fear showing plainly in his stance if not his eyes, though he was determined to protect his elder brother. Sasori stayed back, holding the shrouded body, watching Sasuke move forward, hands away from his weapons, watching the elder pair. The redhead couldn't hear what Sasuke was saying, but it seemed to be working, watching Meizu relax and move to his brother, helping him stand. Sasori moved closer then, now able to hear the soft words Sasuke spoke to the Onikyoudai.

Sasuke spoke to them about Silk, about the nin who already lived there, about Haku and Zabuza, even Kimimaru and Orochimaru. The pair's eyes lit up at the mention of Zabuza and Haku being alive and for that and for Gozu's life, the duo became a quartet. Sasori tirelessly carried the shrouded burden, as Sasuke and Meizu supported Gozu. The return home seemed to be even longer, but it was all the sweeter when the four were greeted at the gate by their fellow ninja, Zabuza's eyes going just a little wide at the sight of his former subordinates. It was he who carried Gozu to the hospital, as Haku and Meizu watched on in pure amusement. Orochimaru came to join the gathering outside Gozu's room, gesturing to Sasuke and Sasori. The two followed the Yunkage into another room, away from the hustle and bustle of the emergency room and the halls of the hospital. Orochimaru's fingers delicately peeled away the black fabric from Zaku's face, revealing the graying flesh of one of his former subordinates. The damage wasn't so horrible that he couldn't reverse it, but it would take time. Time enough then, for the task he wanted to give Sasori.

The former Akatsuki member, his former partner, watched him with a disinterested gaze, Sasuke moving from his side to Orochimaru's, watching Sasori yet again. Sasori finally tilted his head in deference, folding his hands before him.

"Sasori-san, if I get the materials you will require, will you build something for me?"

Sasori's lips twitched. "Sasuke has told me what you wish for. One would think you wanted me to know before we arrived."

"Perhaps." Orochimaru replied, already moving to work on Zaku's broken body, studying the stump of the right arm and the mangled left, Sasuke watching the entire time. Sasori watched as well, head tilting to the side.

"I will create for you. I will try to make them as normal as possible for the tasks you wish. I'll need photos for the faces, if you can procure them."

Orochimaru's yellow eyes flicked up to Sasuke, the brunette nodding and moving to leave the elder pair alone. Sasori moved then, closer to the Yunkage, watching him and the body of the unlucky boy formerly of Otogakure. They said nothing as Orochimaru assessed the damage done to his former subordinate, by his hands and others. Finally, Orochimaru drew back, looking to Sasori.

"Find Haku and have him fetch you the materials you need. He'll take you to a workshop where you can have peace to work."

"At my own pace. Things like this can't be rushed."

"I'm in no hurry." Orochimaru replied.

"Two males and one female? I suppose, if I have the time, a prosthetic for this child?"

"As human as you are capable of making them, if you please."

Sasori gave a wan smile and bowed out of the room, leaving Orochimaru alone with the body of Zaku. Sasori had his task and now Orochimaru had his. He concentrated on Zaku, working as slowly as he could to avoid damaging the tissue more than it already was. It seemed tedious, but at the end of the day, when Kimimaru came to check on him and offer him dinner, his progress made him smile. A few more days and Silk would have a new ninja joining the ranks.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

The process of making a puppet is fairly simple. Wood was carved, painted, clothed, strings were attached and joints oiled for easy movement. A human body was much more complicated to create, one so human that synthetic flesh became real and organs worked within the shell and the body would age normally as though the body had never been destroyed. Sasori had his work cut out for him, certainly. It wasn't that he didn't think he could do it – he did – it was a matter of succeeding.

Sasori had chosen soft wood for the bones, channeling chakra though the wood to make it strong and resilient like human bone. He did get a full skeleton from one of the dead in the hospital, struck down by old age. Kimimaru had crafted health back into the bones, so Sasori only had to craft two wood-bone skeletons. Muscles and veins were made of chakra threads of all kinds, shaped to take as muscles as cells were grafted to the threads. It was one body at a time, tedious and time consuming. Slowly one body was taking shape, organs growing slowly as flesh and skin was growing, lungs breathing on their own though no soul inhabited the body. The tallest male had been finished just under three months, set on life support at the hospital, waiting for the Yunkage's attention when Orochimaru finished with Zaku. The boy was alive again, weak and unsteady, and Orochimaru wanted to make him comfortable. The second body, the younger, smaller male was finished three months after the first, lying on a respirator beside the first.

Sasori concentrated then on the final body, the female. In his opinion, the female body was the hardest to construct, especially with all the organs the males did not have. She seemed to take much longer and required more attention. Which meant that as Orochimaru and Sasuke worked to bring back the lost souls for the two bodies lying on life support in the hospital, Sasori was spending sleepless nights working on making sure his creation did not expire before he could get her safely supported for the next step.

Dosu's first sight at waking in his new world, in his new body, was Zaku, leaning over him and watching him with his wonderfully dark eyes.

Hayate woke a few days later, after his body had almost failed him, Kimimaru and Sasuke at his side to ease his initiation into life.

By the time the first genin graduated from Kinugakure's Academy, Tayuya was making her presence felt amongst her colleagues. Sasori left a message on Orochimaru's desk, declaring a vacation. Silk was vibrant now that all the players Orochimaru had considered for his team were gathered in the village. Silk prospered under Orochimaru's guiding hand, and the very first jounin-genin teams emerged. Orochimaru could only smile. Kinugakure was catching up to her elder sisters, quickly, with Hayate's help.

It had been a bone to choke on for a Hayate, dead in Konoha and alive in Kinu. Loyalty was torn until Sasuke spoke to him. If he went back to Konoha, people who had mourned him wouldn't understand his reappearance, and Silk needed him.

Hayate was the first to choose his personal genin, two kunoichi and one shinobi. The first he chose was young Saya, a vibrant ten year old who showed great affinity close hand-to-hand type combat, agile enough to dance her way through any fight she got into. Second was a little boy named Kohaku, dark of hair and eye, slight and small. As small as he was, his ability to mould chakra was enough for him to defend himself against bigger foes. The last member of Hayate's team was a kunoichi named Genhana, as vibrant as Saya but a little more collected. Hayate had chosen her to carry on his fighting style, so the little girl carried around a short sword on her back, proudly displaying it to her friends. Following him, to everyone's surprise, Zabuza and Tayuya vied for genin to teach, each scoring their own team. Zabuza's team seemed to consist of the troublemakers of Kinu, three shinobis ranging from ages eight to ten. The eldest, and quite possibly the most violent, was Daisuke, a berserker and passionate fighter. Reiji was next, apathetic toward anything that wasn't something he cared for, and he cared for very little. He also tended to get into bloody fights that ended up with him or his opponent in the hospital. The youngest and last member of Zabuza's team was young Rikuji, an orphan who seemed as brittle as a willow tree, but lashed out as quickly as a viper. Tayuya remained without a team simply because she couldn't find any children who pleased her. In all, there were eight teams by the time Silk had been in existence for two years and only Hayate and Zabuza continued to teach their genin, Hayate and Zabuza's genin now ten years old and Tayuya still searching for her team. Haku took care of the younger children during recess at school, teaching only special cases with the help of Sasuke, though most of Sasuke's time was being taken by Orochimaru's teachings.

Then trouble came.

Silk was a fledgling village with no allies. Certainly, she didn't need allies, not with powerful shinobi and kunoichi protecting her. But there were those who were vulnerable, and they were whom the bandits and raiders aimed for, only to be met with fierce resistance. Silk survived each attack and rebuilt and grew stronger. Sasuke and Haku took to patrolling the woods then, often catching a group of plotters and getting rid of them before harm could be brought to Silk. This was how Team Nine, Sasuke's team, came to be.

She was crying, dreadfully afraid as she ran. Her charm, a crescent moon, bounced against her ankle as she ran from the village that had been her home for all the ten years of her young life. Getsugakure was miles behind but she could hear her pursuit, and she wanted to live so badly. Blonde hair, matted by dirt and twigs fell in front of baby blue eyes, cracking and breaking with tears, the tears making streaks in the dirt on her face. She had to keep running; if she stopped, they'd catch her and bring her back.

She yelped as she stumbled over roots and fell heavily on her hands. She sniffled as she pushed herself up, crying harder now that pain lanced up her arms. She'd been showing off to her friends, a new ability she'd learned from a visiting nin, just by watching him.

She hadn't known it had been a Kekkei Genkai, whatever that was. So she ran. She kept running, leaving her home behind and still the older ninja followed her. She was scared, alone, and she desperately wanted to live. Darkness fell and the frightened kunoichi took refuge in a cradle of roots, too afraid to sleep. She huddled there, arms wrapped around her knees, watching the dark around her. She fell asleep a few hours later, waking with an aborted scream as her eyes met brilliant crimson, gentle hands smoothing her hair. Tears came unbidden to her eyes as a light was struck, a lamp held in the hand of a smaller man, face covered by a white mask.

She clung to the crimson-eyed man, even as he lifted her up into his arms, keeping her close.

"Getsugakure," the smaller man said, a hand reaching up to remove the girl's hitai-ate.

"They're close. Haku, take her and get back to the village. Tell the others to prepare to be discovered if I can't turn them back."

She was passed to the smaller man, held just as gently. She was shaking as she clung to the man called Haku, hugging him as the crimson eyed man leapt away from them, leaving them alone. Haku shifted her against his hip as he moved back into the shadows, keeping her close and safe.

"So," Haku began lightly, as if behind them there weren't the soft sounds of combat taking place, "what's your name?"

She blinked and looked up at the man carrying her, up at the prettiest face she had ever seen. Dark eyes watched her own and she couldn't help but blush. She clung and looked away shyly, smiling.

"Tsukiyoshi Umi, Haku-san."

"Umi? What a pretty name."

"Not really."

Haku laughed and Umi smiled, clutching closer to the man as they walked. He held her so much more gently than anyone had ever held her before, speaking softly with her as they walked to an unknown destination. Her ears, already sensitive to certain sounds, picked up the sound of banging metal at the same moment Haku broke into a fast run, sprinting through trees and brush like hunted rabbits.

The thought made Umi whimper.

The tree line broke into a clearing and Haku took the risk. He could defeat anyone who attacked them easily, but Umi was vulnerable. He had to make it across before those Sasuke didn't dispatch caught up. It all came down to speed and luck. Haku had the speed. He didn't have the luck. The Getsugakure nin boxed the pair in, leaving no room to escape, only to fight. Haku didn't want to risk Umi's safety, but when the first kunai shot straight at the girl, Haku had no choice. He had to defeat them all at once, in one fell swoop, and not let Umi get hurt in the process. Though his arm was still a bit lethargic in channeling chakra, he let Umi down and went through the motions so familiar to him, eyes narrowing in sadistic mirth. Ice formed from the ground water beneath the soil, trapping the men in a frozen prison. Umi sat on the ground amidst this, eyes wide as she watched Haku melt into the ice, her ears still ringing with his soft, deceiving voice.

"Makyou Hyou Shou!"

Umi felt her blood prickle, her eyes following Haku's every movement. She watched senbon fly, watched Haku's body twist and leap from mirror to mirror, her eyes picking up every detail. She almost didn't notice one shinobi creeping up on her, until the last moment. Umi gave a shrill cry, earning Haku's attention away from the dead at his feet. Haku's eyes went wide in the realization Umi was going to die and he could do nothing to save her. How wide, then, Haku's eyes went when Umi's hands flashed almost to fast for his eyes to see, the little kunoichi's body slipping back into an ice mirror before the kunai found her heart, hitting ice instead. Haku didn't waste time then, launching himself at the remaining shinobi and slammed a senbon into the jugular, blood spurting and gurgling as the man fell. He turned then to the ice, a hand reaching through for the girl, Umi reappearing and clinging to Haku, shivering and shaking. Her eyes lit up when someone appeared beside them and Sasuke took Umi into his arms, letting Haku dispel the ice both he and Umi had conjured. Haku could only stare wondrously at the little girl, finally looking up at Sasuke, head tilted.

"Umi-chan," Haku began, looking at the little girl one last time before moving to gesture at the puddles of water near where they were standing, "can copy Kekkei Genkai, Sasuke."

Sharingan narrowed in thought as he looked at Umi, the girl looking up and into those blood red eyes, blinking. Sasuke set Umi down then, crouching in front of the ten-year old, hands on her shoulders. His head tilted, eyes flicking to look at Haku, watching the older male scour the dead bodies for what he didn't know, before he looked back at the little girl.

"Show me, Umi-chan," Sasuke commanded softly, the young kunoichi blinking in confusion.

"Show you what, Sasuke-san?"

"Show me what you did here."

Umi looked a bit nervous as she stepped away, hands coming up and flashing through signs so familiar to Sasuke he couldn't help but shudder, hands moving to cup the girl's in his palms. Sharingan flicked over her face, Sasuke smiling at her.

"You're a good girl, Umi-chan. Promise me though, you won't perform this until Haku has trained you."

Umi looked over at the other man, the elder brunette glancing up from a scroll toward her, a smile given to her and a slight nod. Sapphire eyes turned back to Sasuke then and she reached to be picked up again, Sasuke obliging her and settling her on his hip after she nodded agreement, clinging to the elder man as he moved to collect his partner. The bodies were left where they lay as Sasuke and Haku made to return to Silk, Umi falling asleep in Sasuke's arms. When they arrived, Sasuke let Kimimaru take the girl to check her over, keeping near her in case she woke up, simply watching the examination of the first part of his future team. Haku, on the other hand, excused himself to head home, only receiving a raised eyebrow from Sasuke when he waved the scroll at him.

That same scroll was tossed at Zabuza when Haku entered their home, one of the few shinobi homes on the ground, simply because Gozu and Meizu had moved into their home. Zabuza stared at the scroll in his hand, nearly dropping it when a shock went through him, fumbling with the thing as Haku laughed. Zabuza's eyes narrowed at the boy, shaking his head.

"Where did you get this? What's on it, anyway?"

"Dunno," Haku replied, following Zabuza from the foyer back to the den, Zabuza lifting his arm up out of the way as Gozu and Meizu darted by, keeping the scroll from being knocked away. "I found it on some Getsu nin. Along with a little girl Sasuke's taking a liking to."

"Hopefully in a good way."

"Sasuke's not like that you know. Meizu! Watch where you're going!" Haku shouted as the younger of the brothers hit Zabuza's arm, the scroll flying from the eldest's grip, Meizu grabbing the bound paper as it rolled along the floor, laughing.

"The hallway isn't big enough for the four of us!" Meizu called, arm tingling with some kind of electric jolt.

"Then stop running around the hallway like idiots!" Zabuza growled grabbing back the scroll and glaring the brothers into retreat. He and Haku slipped into their bedroom then, locking the door against the brothers, Zabuza giving a sigh as he tossed the scroll onto the long dresser he and Haku kept, unable to keep from mewling as Haku ran his fingers along the elder's cheek.

Haku was surprised. "Never heard that sound from you before we actually start, Zabuza-san."

"Hn."

Haku smiled, pulling Zabuza down for a breath-stealing kiss, drawing back with pleading eyes. Zabuza understood easily and moved to slowly tease the clothes off his young partner, his own coming off just as fast it seemed, the pair falling onto their bed, a tangle of limbs, mouths moving over flesh, teeth bruising lips and skin alike, blood drawn as they fought to dominate the other, Zabuza losing the battle the moment Haku's hand wrapped around his need and began to stroke, Haku humming as he bruised his lover's throat. Despite being twenty-two years old, Haku still couldn't keep the memories at bay each time he killed. Zabuza helped him with that, even though the man was thirty-three years old and his body still suffered from the wounds from before. Haku shifted between Zabuza's legs, forcing the elder man's legs apart, and without any preparation, the young man thrust into Zabuza. Haku couldn't help but moan, the heat so much more intense than he could remember from all the other times Zabuza had allowed him to be on top, blood making the movement so much easier.

Zabuza was writhing, making sounds beneath Haku that Haku hadn't heard from the elder man before, their rhythm rough to keep their minds, Haku's especially, off the night's events and those in their far past. Zabuza bit back a scream as Haku hit that perfect angle, the younger man shifting to fold Zabuza near in half, the elder man's legs over his shoulders, forcing himself deeper and deeper all in an effort to hear Zabuza's cries. Haku got what he wanted and more, especially when Zabuza's release came without warning, the elder man's inner walls clamping down like a vice around Haku's aching erection, Zabuza's own seed making a sticky mess on his chest as Haku's essence filled Zabuza, the heat in the elder man's abdomen dying slowly as Haku withdrew and fell heavily beside his beloved, smiling at the elder man. Zabuza merely rolled and cuddled Haku close, sighing softly against the young man's head.

"Love you, Zabuza-san."

"Hn," Zabuza replied, already half asleep. Haku was grateful then Zabuza had fallen into a deeper sleep by the time Meizu screamed in pleasure, the youngest of the four huddling against Zabuza's side, trying to sleep despite the noise.

And what a racket as well, Gozu's lovemaking to his brother quite a bit gentler than Haku's to Zabuza. Meizu wasn't as controlling about his sounds, the house often filling with his cries, such as tonight, as Gozu drew out Meizu's pleasure with each thrust, stretched flesh giving way to the elder's motions. It wasn't enough for Meizu and he begged for it faster, a request to which Gozu complied, slamming into his little brother with enough force to knock their bed back into the wall. The only sounds were Gozu's panting and Meizu's cries and whimpers, and finally the younger's voice as he called out how close he was, his brother laughing and wrapping his hand around Meizu's erection, stroking in time with his thrusts, filling his brother deeply and completely, until Meizu's passage constricted, forcing Gozu over the edge, his hand and his brother's abdomen covered in the pearlescent liquid, his own filling his brother and leaving Gozu panting, slumping over his brother, smiling at him. Meizu returned the smile, broken by a yawn, and soon cuddled in Gozu's arms for the night.

The scroll lay forgotten on the dresser, its work done.

Now time was the master.


	9. Chapter 9

IX

He could remember the burning pain, the slice of the knife down the soft flesh of his cheeks, the warmth of his blood cascading down his face to stain his clothes. He could only watch in apathetic horror, crying later when shock set in and the pain became something more, screaming into the night and only shutting up when he was threatened with that crimson-stained knife again, huddling in the corner of his room and staring with wide emerald eyes until that knife went away. His existence was one he couldn't understand, but so long as he was quiet, that knife didn't come out again. So long as he was quiet, no body saw him, no body even knew he was there. The first indication to him that he was special was when that knife whipped out toward him, and with a cry he fell back, panicking as the blade embedded into the wood where his head once was. The owner of that knife growled and yelled and fumed, but he didn't see him where he lay. It was only after that knife vanished again that the boy realized his father should have been able to see him. The nine year old settled into the corner that had come so familiar to him now after the long nights of being cooped up here in the old attic.

The voices were drifting in and out, important information being taped with his little tape-recorder, silent as he listened to words that meant nothing to him, but they meant something to his father and the men his father held counsel with. This was the fifth night of being in the attic and the boy was scared. He was never seen, though, invisible so long as he remained still. Eventually, he had to move and his shifting sometimes brought someone to investigate. Lights often illuminated him to all eyes, but still, no one saw him. When the voices stopped, he switched the tape recorder off and hid it in his kimono, slipping away from his hiding spot and out of the attic. He was almost free. But then his foot missed the rung of the ladder and down he fell, a cry escaping as he hit the floor with a bone-breaking thud. The boy struggled up to his feet and ran, hearing sounds of pursuit behind him, the footfalls of much stronger men behind him. He had to hide, he had to get out, and he ran and ran and ran, hallways passing by at almost breathtaking speeds. He was panicking; he didn't have a chance to escape. He turned down a hallway and slammed into the legs of a tall man and fell. He stared up, eyes wide in fear, but the man only grabbed him up and held him close, backing up against the wall. The boy's pursuers darted by without so much as a glance their way. The boy stared wondrously at the crimson-eyed man, panted as his body finally began to relax.

"One so young shouldn't be running through the halls at this time of night," the crimson-eyed man whispered to him. He was mesmerized by the slowly spinning black dots in the man's eyes and blinked when the man chuckled.

"You don't live here, do you, little one?"

The boy shook his head numbly. The man held him gently and his eyes didn't linger on his scars. His fingers curled in the man's shirt and he gasped at the feel of a thick jacket beneath the man's kimono.

"You're a ninja," the boy whispered. The man smiled, nodding, almost black strands of hair falling out of place on a headband the boy had never seen before.

"Do you like it?" the man asked, one hand reaching up to pull off the hitai-ate, offering it to the boy to hold. Again the boy nodded. "What's your name?"

"Hanayo Seiichiro, shinobi-san."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke." The man replied and then Sei could smell smoke and burning ozone, and then the fresh, early morning air. When had they gotten outside? Sei wondered. Sasuke took back his hitai-ate, tied it around his forehead and knelt in front of Sei.

"Sei, I don't want to catch you here again, all right? I want you to stay far away."

Sei's eyes widened. "But Sasuke-san, if I don't then… then it hurts."

Sasuke's eyes had narrowed, Sei noticed, and the shinobi pulled a button out of his kimono, the garment coming off as Sasuke stood, the button passed to the awed boy.

– Sasuke-san really IS a ninja! –

He had a flak jacket of the deepest black and dark clothes; even his sandals were black and wrapped in thick leather cord to keep them on his feet. His hair was kept out of his eyes mostly by the hitai-ate, but most of it had been gathered in a tail at the nape of his neck, trailing just between his shoulder blades. Sei felt self-conscious then, gaze and head dropping to hide his scarred face.

"Sei, promise me you won't come back here. If you ever need me, just squeeze this, and I'll come right away, all right?" Sasuke watched the boy nod and mumble an assent as he slipped the button into his kimono. Sasuke crouched again, hands on Sei's shoulders. The boy refused to look at him and Sasuke figured he knew why. He had an idea then and tilted his head, standing up with a kunai in hand. Now Sei watched him, watched him slice the kunai through the material of his shirtsleeve at the elbow, the material pulled off. Sasuke crouched again, fingers beneath Sei's chin, tilting the boy's head up and then he pulled the material over the boy's head, settling the elastic from the wrist band against Sei's cheekbones, over his nose, the loose cloth tucked into the boy's kimono collar.

Sei blinked, fingers moving to touch the cloth, staring up at the man with wide eyes once he realized the significance of the makeshift mask. His face was hidden and those horrible marks on his face were now invisible! He gazed up at Sasuke with a hidden smile, watching the man study him. Sasuke's face softened and he set his palm on Sei's head.

"Promise me you won't come back here?"

Sei blinked. He reached up then and took Sasuke's hand from his head and held it tight, squeezing in a mock handshake.

"I promise."

Run, just run. Just get away from the idiot. Deidara just had to keep moving, running through the trees as fast as he could just to get away from Tobi. He hated the younger Akatsuki member, he hated him because he had stolen Sasori-danna's ring, hated him because he had taken Sasori-danna's place. Generally, he just hated Tobi. He also hated Sasori-danna for abandoning him to such a fate. He wished he could tell Sasori how he felt, beat the crap out of him in revenge or something. Alas, the most he could do was run from his stupid, lazy partner and rush to find a place to hide. He knew just the place too, considering he was stepping into the territory known as Suzaku no Kuni, though Deidara himself did not know it. When he arrived at the safe house, Deidara could only stand and stare at the destruction of the building, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. Now what?

He turned from the scene of destruction and started walking. He could hear Tobi somewhere in the distance, but he ignored the idiot. He was tempted to create some explosions just to throw the moron off his trail, but then, Tobi was stupid enough to get himself lost. Deidara folded his arms over his chest, grumbling as he walked deeper into the forests of this land, finally looking up at the canopy at the silvery thread that covered the branches and leaves, caught up in the beauty of the place. Sasori-danna would have liked it. It sort of made Deidara sick at the thought because their ideas of beauty were horribly different. It was always sort of an unspoken argument between them and the only time Deidara let it go was when Sasori would give him that simple little smile, that knowing little quirk of his lips that made Deidara long to see it again and again.

Deidara almost missed the ninja positioned up in a shield of leaves and silver web. The blonde ducked and stilled, eyes upturned to watch the ninja, studying the young man curiously. He didn't recognize the shinobi, but as he studied him, he could pick out details. He was young, blending in well with his surroundings because of his clothing, a brown hakama and a green kimono, his dark hair wrapped in a bun. He seemed depressed about something, leaning against the trunk with his head bowed. The blonde shifted beneath the tree and then snuck by the boy, finally coming upon a thick wall of smooth trees.

A village.

In the middle of nowhere?

Deidara slipped inside, scaling the wall as quickly as he could and dropping down, scuttling along the shadows. He paused behind the wall of a home, peeking inside to judge the village's inhabitants. Obviously mostly shinobi, making this village a brand new Hidden Village, one that Akatsuki obviously didn't know about yet. The blonde moved along, wincing at the sound of something breaking over a hard surface, cautiously peeking into a window, blinking at the sight of someone standing shirtless against the wall. The dark-haired man was staring down at shattered ceramic on the floor. His hand was on his stomach, the flesh slightly bulging in the beginnings of gentle roundness. Deidara thought he was crying, though those not-tears were hastily wiped away when the boy Deidara had passed earlier entered the residence, the two speaking in soft voices.

The Akatsuki member crept away after learning much more than he wanted to know. After all, it wasn't every day that not one but two men turned out to be four months pregnant and nobody knew how beyond the obvious. Poor bastards.

Deidara found himself climbing up into one of the tree houses above the village after a few moments of searching, creeping into the darkened abode as silent as a predator on the hunt. The blonde pulled up short when he nearly kicked over a half-completed doll. He bent to pick up the defenseless toy, turning it over in his hands, studying it. He felt cold when he recognized the craftsmanship; the doll in his hand nearly snapped into pieces in his anger.


	10. Chapter 10

X

Sasori knew something was wrong the moment he closed the door to his home behind him, sensing something wrong with the way his home was arranged. His head tilted when he found his newest little doll lying on the floor, the wood of her face scarred by nails. Human nails. Sasori shifted and moved toward the doll, crouching to pick her up and stroke her face, studying the scored wood. He dodged left as something heavy nearly brained him. Sasori dodged more thrown objects, ducking behind a wall as a heavy body thudded onto the hardwood floor. The redhead peeked out from behind the wall and stared wide-eyed. Deidara snarled and moved toward him and Sasori barely had time to dodge away from the wall but he wasn't fast enough. Deidara brought him down in a vicious tackle, the blonde pinning the redhead beneath him, hands curled into fists to pound the synthetic flesh of the marionette.

Sasori struggled beneath Deidara, trying to throw him off and succeeding, barely. He rolled over and struggled to his feet, turning to watch Deidara grab a scroll, jerk as though he'd gotten an electrical shock and throw the thing at him.

"I should tear you to PIECES, un!" Deidara screamed at him once the scroll hit the redhead's chest and fell to the floor. Sasori could only tilt his head.

"I don't think you really want to do that."

"Oh, but I really do, un."

Sasori shifted, watching Deidara stalked toward him, grabbing the redhead by the shoulders and bearing him down, capturing his mouth. The puppeteer gave a startled gasp at the action and found his mouth invaded by Deidara's tongue. When the two pulled away from each other, Sasori was on the floor with Deidara straddling him, the two panting for air.

"Bastard," Deidara hissed, leaning over Sasori, pinning his wrist to the floor, hips settling over Sasori's own to begin a slow grind, moving in long, slow circles.

Sasori shivered, letting out a soft gasp as Deidara leaned down to bite at his neck. "No, I knew my parents…"

"Asshole, then, un." Deidara said in between bites, "Monster. Fucking traitor."

Sasori arched beneath the blonde, his body vibrating in pleasure, the sensations heightened when Deidara managed to slip his hands beneath his clothing, stroking his synthetic flesh. Sasori shivered when the cold air met with his heating skin, staring at the blond, his brown eyes darkened to the colour of dried blood.

"I am a monster…" Sasori managed to gasp out in between ravages to his mouth, "A traitor perhaps… but a dead one."

Deidara hissed and tore at Sasori's clothes and skin, baring the redhead to his eyes. "You should've stayed dead, un. Worthless piece of shit."

"…Yes worthless…" Sasori arched up as Deidara's nails raked his skin, tearing small gouges that would have to be healed later on. The blonde grabbed the redhead up then, forcing them both to stand, biting Sasori's ear as they somehow navigated to the bedroom, falling onto the bed, Sasori on top this time, between Deidara's legs, tugging at the blonde's clothes, baring them both now. Deidara whimpered as Sasori settled between his legs, the redhead blinking up at the blonde in surprise.

"Don't cry, Deidara." Sasori whispered, stroking the blonde's cheeks.

"And why shouldn't I, un?" Deidara replied, shivering beneath Sasori, head tilting as the redhead placed soft kisses to his skin.

"Because… it doesn't… look right… to mar your beauty… with tears…"

The blonde jerked his face to look at Sasori, eyes wet with unshed tears, those soon kissed away by Sasori as he shifted to slowly impale Deidara on his length, the blonde arching and letting the redhead slip deeper into his body. They spoke little during their lovemaking, Sasori moving slowly and drawing everything out, Deidara making soft noises as he was impaled again and again, both tensing one after another and Sasori released his seed into his lover, Deidara arching as his own essence made a mess on their abdomens. The redhead pulled out then, a cloth found and studied for a long moment before he moved to wipe away semen and blood from Deidara's entrance, settling down beside him. It was then it was decided to create a doll of Deidara and have it get blown up. Somehow. Because Deidara knew Tobi was an idiot and probably would kill his own partner and they both knew to leave Akatsuki was to court death itself.

Sei darted through the streets, his flight a panicked run, his makeshift mask wet with blood that wasn't his own. No one stopped to help him. No one would help him. He ran for his life, knowing his murderer was right behind him. He had to get away. Sei made a wrong turn and tripped, falling headlong into the dirt. Then he could only scrabble, trying to regain his balance, struggling to get to his feet and only tripping more, managing at last to get to his feet only to hit a high wall, blocking his way. The boy turned to face the man who chased him, the boy cowering against the wall, shaking in fear. The man stood there, feet away from him, staring around as though he was blind to the fact the boy was right there in front of him. The only explanation Sei could come up with was that the man couldn't see but he knew that wasn't true. The man had beaten him enough times for the boy to know the man certainly wasn't blind. The boy's legs were cramping where he crouched, but he knew he couldn't move. If he moved, he could be seen, and then he would be hurt worse than before. Than anytime before.

The boy shifted, just a bit, not too much, and then a heavy hand fell on his face, knocking him to the ground. The man stood over him, a hand curled around the hilt of a wicked looking knife. Sei felt tears prick at his eyes, trying to scrabble to a safe place, to just get away. He heard voices but he couldn't scream, his voice unable to work, the lump in his throat too much. He could only crawl on his hands and knees and even then he didn't get far. A foot fell on his ankle, pinning him down to the dirt, making him vulnerable. Sei was crying hard now, the black material over his face choking him, depriving him of air, suffocating. He didn't want to die!

The man grabbed him then, fingers curling around the makeshift mask and hauling the boy up to stare into the child's frightened emerald eyes. Tears fell and soaked the cloth, the man speaking harsh words the boy couldn't understand. Sei could only struggle, struggle against the grip of the man, giving a gasp when the little button Sasuke-san had given him fell out of his kimono to plop unceremoniously into the dirt.

Sasuke-san!

Sei's mind was working a mile a minute now, managing to get a hand up to pull the black material down. The next few acts were out of sheer desperation, Sei biting down hard on the man's knuckles at the same time he kicked up at the man's chest with both legs, pistoning them out, coupling with the man's reaction to release him to get him further away from the knife that suddenly slashed where his head used to be. Sei landed hard on the ground, absorbing most of the shock with his feet, though he still fell hard onto his back. He rolled, scrabbling for that button, grabbing it up and squeezing the button hard.

Seiichiro wasn't quite sure what the hell happened next.

One minute he'd been kicked over onto his back, the man's shadow falling over him, the blade flashing overhead in the light, and then he was being hauled up and away from that descending knife, the silver blade blocked by a black one, the sound of metal striking metal echoing in his ears. His back was pressed against a heavy-feeling cloth, reinforced to make it hard cloth, an arm around his chest. The nine year old stared up into the darkened visage of Sasuke, the man twisting to protect Sei and block the knife. The man drew back the silver, Sasuke drew back the black, and Sei watched the blades dart at one another again and again. Sasuke, however, proved the faster, the kunai plunging home in the man's chest. Sei flinched as the blood sprayed over Sasuke, the boy shielded by Sasuke's shoulder though the crimson still splashed on the brunette's cheek. Sei watched the man who abused him fall dead, Sasuke setting him down to retrieve the kunai and wipe blood from his weapon, finally turning to the boy.

Sei shivered as he looked up at Sasuke, knowing when he stared at the older man he wasn't staring at the kind man who helped him a few nights ago; he was staring at a professional killer, a ninja in his full glory. Sei saw the shift from the killer to the friend even though Sasuke's crimson eyes never changed, the look of his face softening. Sasuke crouched in front of Sei and smiled, holding out the kunai hilt first to the boy.

Sei blinked and slowly reached forward, fingers wrapping around the hilt of the weapon and lifted the heavy thing into the air. His fingers felt cold, the metal slowly warming as his eyes followed Sasuke's movements. The shinobi placed his hand on Sei's head, smiling warmly at him, gently.

"Want to go home, Sei-kun?" Sasuke whispered.

Sei's fist tightened around the hilt of the kunai. "I want to go home, Sasuke-sensei."


	11. Chapter 11

XI

It was dark where he was sitting. He knew it was dark. Pitch black even, with only the gentle faint light of a star somewhere way overhead of where he was. But what he could see didn't make it so dark. He could make out the bars of the cage, the faint glow of a fire down the hall. He could sense someone near by simply because of the bright orange blob that they were. He blinked and the blob went away, but he could hear movement and breathing. He was huddled in the far corner of the cell when the drums started, a soft banging that heralded only bad news. His body was tense when they appeared, the barred door to his cell starting to creak open, a couple men with masks over their faces stepping into his cell with practiced steps. They'd been doing this since he was five, practicing stepping into the dark cell with torches and drums. He was used to it. But the knife was a new addition and he knew then that this time would be so much different.

He bolted before the adults could get a hold of him, darting between legs in his bid for freedom.

Kyo could only run, probably getting more lost than he wanted to be, but finally he saw light, and knew it to be the moon. The ten-year-old boy paused only to gauge distance before he bolted, using his speed against the adults' more bulky bodies as he ran, rushing for the moonlight. He burst out of the underground compound and just kept running even though his lungs burned. He had to get away.

He didn't want to die!

Zabuza was rubbing his bulging stomach, feeling the baby inside of him kick. Meizu was feeling much the same, they both knew, and now nearly all of those in Orochimaru's circle knew what had caused this little miracle of life. Besides a very, very cruel God, of course. No, the scroll Haku had picked up eight months ago had allowed Zabuza, Meizu, and now Deidara, to get pregnant. Deidara was only four months, coinciding with the time of his arrival to Silk and the explosion in which the investigating shinobi found scraps of synthetic flesh and human blood along with scraps of an Akatsuki cloak burned into the synthetic flesh. A pretty convincing death. Orochimaru decided to forget it and commissioned a few nin to make sure that part of the forest grew back to its former glory. Zabuza and Meizu were very close to term and already had their shared home all set for the arrival of two babies. Sasori had already been quietly panicking over the fact Deidara was carrying his child, following the blonde everywhere he went despite the fact Kimimaru had told him Deidara was perfectly fine carrying the extra burden of the baby on his body.

Sasori ignored Kimimaru's words and followed Deidara anyway.

Zabuza turned to look out the window of his home, watching Haku work in the rabbit-garden as it was called, partly wishing he could go out and join his beautiful lover. But Kimimaru had condemned him to the house to protect his health as much as he'd condemned Meizu, so while Meizu slept, Zabuza mused. The village was lively, especially with the two newest arrivals, one of which was bouncing up to Haku, Deidara not too far behind her.

Umi and Deidara had taken one look at each other when they met during a genin exam. Deidara had accompanied Sasori there and met the blonde girl, who had come as company for the boy Seiichiro. Sasuke had chosen the boy to train personally while Haku taught Umi to control her unique gift, and immediately became attached to one another. The little girl was certainly somewhat of a clone of the ex-Akatsuki member, and it was difficult not to say they were siblings when they were seen together. Umi had a loving home with Deidara and Sasori, though, and she certainly was happy living with the two. The trio stood talking, Umi probably cajoling Haku into another lesson with the Demon Ice Mirrors. Deidara was drawing the girl away soon enough, probably to do some sort of shopping, Haku waving her off with a promise no doubt, for the girl didn't give her customary glare that was reserved for those who broke promises with her. Zabuza rubbed his stomach and couldn't help the soft smile that appeared on his face.

"Hell must have frozen over. You're smiling."

Zabuza turned to face Sasuke and Seiichiro, the former leaning against the kitchen window's sill as the latter watched from behind the elder's slightly raised knee. Zabuza liked the two, though he'd never admit it outright, Sasuke having grown into his power, finding ways to gain more power without shedding blood, and Seiichiro proving his mettle as a young genin under Sasuke's tutelage.

"Shut up," Zabuza growled not near as menacingly as he wanted to. Sasuke only smirked, which almost infuriated Zabuza to the point he wanted to cause physical harm, but for the sake of the baby in his artificial womb he didn't.

"Sei-kun and I are going out toward Iiga. We've gotten requests from a few people, you want anything?"

"If Haku's made a request we've got everything."

Sasuke nodded and slipped away, Sei trailing behind him. Zabuza watched the pair leave and wondered why the feeling in his gut felt more like dread than the need to use the bathroom because of the baby sitting on his bladder.


	12. Chapter 12

XII

Kyo huddled beneath the roots of a tree, arms wrapped around his knees, shivering in the cold morning air. His stomach was rumbling but he didn't have any food with him. He'd just run and run and hid, just kept moving, always afraid to stop and find something to eat because he knew if he did they'd find him and they'd kill him. He didn't understand why, but he knew it only had to do with his eyes. His mother had screamed and cried when he'd managed to open his eyes one morning and his father had gone cold toward him before locking him up in the cell beneath the ground. Never before had his parents treated him that way, but then he'd changed somehow. Kyo was terribly afraid. He didn't want to die. He shivered in the cold and curled up tighter around himself. He wanted to go home, but he knew he couldn't, not if he wanted to stay alive. He didn't even know how far he had run, only that he had kept going until his legs had grown so tired he couldn't move another step without pain.

He was alone, terrified. He'd never been this far from home without an escort of some kind and even then it was only to the hot spring to be dunked in again and again until his skin was raw and red and he couldn't move without crying from some sort of ache.

Kyo jerked at the sound of movement, his eyes automatically picking out red blobs, a group to his left and two a little ahead of him to the right. The two groups were converging, probably meeting, and Kyo huddled back in his hiding place, trying to keep his sounds as quiet as possible. He didn't want to be found by anyone. The group of red blobs shifted and flickered and broke around the two red blobs, the two red blobs left alone as the group moved on. Kyo was shaking, hands covering his mouth, trying not to cry as those two red blobs came closer to him, and then he could see them, a young man with deep red eyes and dark hair tied in a long tail that hung between his shoulder blades and a smaller boy who's face was covered by a thin black fabric, only his green eyes visible above the mask, strands of blonde hair caught in what looked to be a headband of some sort, metal crossing his forehead and etched with a strange symbol. The taller man wore the same headband, proving the two were associated with one another somehow. Still, Kyo didn't want to be found by anyone, even if he didn't recognize them as belonging to his family.

Kyo shifted only slightly as the pair passed by his hiding place and froze as those crimson eyes fell on him. He tensed, prepared to jump up and run, his hands instinctively curling to leave his index and middle fingers poised, like snake's fangs. He froze when the blonde boy crouched down in front of him, studying him without fear. The boy looked back at the taller man he traveled with and the man moved to crouch beside the boy, crimson eyes flicking over Kyo's face, stopping on his eyes. There was a soft sound, like a short intake of breath, and the man smiled. Kyo couldn't help but smile back, his hands relaxing, the tiny fangs beneath his nails retracting into their sheaths.

The blonde boy shifted closer then, reaching out to him, offering his hand, and hesitantly, Kyo took it. He let the other boy pull him up and gazed down at him, the blonde boy smiling up at him. Kyo didn't know how he knew the boy was smiling, but he knew. It relaxed him. He relaxed even more when the man patted his head and only shifted nervously when the man began to check him for wounds.

"It's okay," the blonde boy whispered. "Sasuke-san won't hurt you."

Kyo blinked, finally having a name for the man who was now standing, clutching to the hand of the smaller blonde boy, gazing up at Sasuke.

"I've only seen such eyes on one man before," Sasuke said.

"What kind of eyes?" Kyo asked, allowing himself to be tugged along by the boy who was at least a foot shorter than he, the two of them following Sasuke to whatever destination the pair had been heading to in the first place.

Sasuke looked back at Kyo and gave him a soft smile. "Snake eyes."

Kyo almost froze but his new friend squeezed his hand and tugged him along. Kyo could only walk numbly, understanding now why his mother who had loved him for seven years let her son spend the last three in a cell, prepared to be killed only a few nights ago. He understood now why his father struck him whenever he so much made a sound when the man came to visit. He knew the visits hadn't been out of love now, only to see if he was still alive.

"So," Kyo began softly, "what are you going to do with me?"

"What do you think, Sei-kun?" Sasuke asked and Kyo let his gaze drop to the blonde boy beside him. Sei looked up at his sensei and frowned behind his mask, his hand curling tighter around Kyo's.

"I like him," Sei whispered.

"What's your name, then, boyo?" Sasuke asked Kyo who still gazed at Sei wondrously, not knowing why these two weren't afraid of him, why they didn't hate him.

"It's Kyo, Sasuke-san," Kyo finally replied, clutching back to his new friend's hand, smiling at Sei and getting what could be a smile in return. Sasuke only nodded and made a gesture for the boys to keep up, the trio passing through a clearing and then into another line of trees. Kyo was grateful Sasuke didn't keep pressing him and neither did Sei. He only clung to the blonde's hand, knowing if he let go, he'd get horribly lost. His eyes widened upon seeing a giant wall made of smooth tree trunks and large stones, the stones fitted together so well that there was no room for anyone to make a breach. He felt Sei tug his hand and looked down at the smaller boy, knowing the blonde was smiling behind that thin mask of his.

"Welcome home, Kyo-kun. Welcome to Silk."

Kyo felt his eyes tearing and stared up at Sasuke, at the man who would become his sensei as he was Sei's and soon Umi's. Sasuke only watched him back with knowing crimson eyes and shifted, letting Sei lead Kyo into the village and into the lives of the Kinugakure nin.


	13. Chapter 13

XIII

Umi bounded up the pathway toward Haku-sensei's house, managing to not transport herself into the abode unannounced. After all, there were two new babies in the house that would be sensitive to her sudden appearance. So she managed to control herself and knock on the door, grinning at Haku when he opened the door. The man could only give her half of one back, letting the twelve-year-old girl into the house, following her back to the nursery. Umi leaned carefully over the large cradle that held two sleeping baby boys. The little one of the pair was Meizu and Gozu's son, Akio, and the other was Aoi, Zabuza and Haku's son; Umi thought both were adorable as hell. She let her fingers glide through the baby fuzz on their heads and looked up at Haku, grinning. Haku smiled back at the little girl who he'd trained along with Sasuke for the past two years. The young genin tilted her head and gave a soft sigh.

"They're adorable, Haku-sensei." Umi whispered. "I can't wait until they're big enough to play with."

"You'll probably be a chuunin by the time they're old enough to play with, Umi," Haku replied. "Where are you going today?"

"Sasuke-sensei is going to take us out on a mission. I didn't want to leave without saying good-bye to you and Zabuza-sensei and Meizu-san and Gozu-san and Aoi-kun and Akio-kun." Umi said, bouncing a little on her toes, her charm jingling against her ankle as she followed Haku back to the foyer. "I'll bring you back something."

Haku couldn't help but laugh at the little girl's enthusiasm. "You should concentrate on Deidara, Umi-chan. You're going to get a little brother or sister of your own."

Umi made a face as Haku led her out onto the porch of their home, patting the little girl on her head. Haku could only smile.

"I know," Umi said in a complaining voice, "But babies that aren't in the family are so much cuter."

Haku could only shake his head and watch his former student run off to join her other two teammates, the two boys being tackled in a fierce hug, the three nearly going down and all letting out a chorus of laughter. Haku could only watch Team Nine disappear to meet their sensei to go on their mission, returning inside at the sound of movement, smiling at Gozu as the older man made an appearance, hiding a yawn behind his hand, making a gesture toward the bedrooms to indicate the mothers of their sons were still fast asleep. Haku smiled, turning back to look out the window toward the path the three genin had vanished down. He felt confident that the future of Silk was going to be well cared for with this generation of genin.

Out of all the dango he'd tasted, he had to admit that this was the best so far. Itachi savored the sticky treat, sipping on the green tea that was warming the ceramic cup before him. Kisame sat across from him, enjoying his own meal and tea. Itachi couldn't think of a more peaceful scenario, sitting here in a brightly lit restaurant with his partner, enjoying the best dango he'd ever tasted. Of course, they were supposed to be looking for the biju, but then, why couldn't they enjoy a few moments of peace on their hunt? The village they were in didn't boast having a vessel of a tailed beast so really they were only there for the food. Whispers and voices floated around them but no one bothered them, even though they openly wore their affiliation. The ninja that passed by them barely spared a glance at them, continuing on their way in such a relaxed manner that neither Kisame nor Itachi felt threatened.

And then both were on their feet at a screamed name, Itachi's eyes going wide in a real display of surprise when three young ninja bounded up to a young man with startling crimson eyes and long dark hair, reminiscent of the style Itachi wore his hair in. Itachi found himself staring then into the eyes of his little brother, Sasuke staring back without a hint of malice within the red orbs. The three children turned to follow their sensei's gaze, the girl staring open mouthed at Itachi and Kisame, the boys looking almost confused for a moment until understanding dawned in their eyes at Sasuke's whispered words. He stepped between them then and moved toward Itachi, who stepped away from Kisame's protection to stand on his own against his brother. If there was to be a brawl, the two Uchihas would fight it alone.

"You have the Mangekyo," Itachi whispered, more making a statement than question. Sasuke could only smile. Itachi tilted his head and blinked when Sasuke held out his hand. Itachi slowly took his younger brother's hand, feeling the strong grip more acutely than he would have felt a punch or the stab of a kunai.

"Welcome to Kinugakure, Nii-san." Sasuke said and Itachi's eyes traveled over his brother's face to the hitai-ate the younger man wore, blinking in honest surprise.

"You don't want to kill him?" Kisame called out, moving to flank Itachi's side, Sasuke's genin quickly imitating the shark-like man and flanked Sasuke, the girl attempting a glare. Her appearance was not lost on the two Akatsuki members, both glancing at each other when Sasuke released his brother's hand.

"I don't want to kill him," Sasuke replied. "It seems trivial, doesn't it, Nii-san?"

Itachi hummed a little. "You've grown up."

Sasuke shrugged and stepped back a little bit, his arms spreading to introduce the three genin who now stood in front him. The children crowded together and stared up at the older men, their eyes curious.

"Nii-san, these are my genin. Umi-chan, Sei-kun, and Kyo-kun." Sasuke said. Itachi picked up the inflections in his little brother's words, watching the younger man with a sense of respect. Sasuke certainly was proud of the three children. The fact that Sasuke had grown into his power and had put the idea of revenge behind him in order to raise up three young genin that would carry his teachings on to their own genin and for the rest of their lives made Itachi very proud of his little brother. Itachi inclined his head to the three children while Kisame only raised his hand in a greeting, the children giving slight bows in return.

"Umi-chan," Sasuke began, "mind going back to my house and getting it cleaned up?"

"But Sasuke-sensei!" Umi complained, her glare to her sensei lessening when the boy Sei took hold of her shoulder. Itachi studied the kids then, blinking at the sight of Kyo's eyes, the boy flicking his gaze from the ground up at his face. As if he knew Itachi was staring at his snake-like eyes, the boy dropped his gaze again and took hold of Sei's hand. The girl pouted before she led her teammates away from Sasuke and the two Akatsuki members.

Sasuke moved to follow then, Itachi and Kisame falling into step behind him. The younger Uchiha led them toward the back of the village, calmly and softly explaining Silk to them. The two Akatsuki members were also told that two of their former teammates also lived in this village and were expecting an addition to the little family the two men and Umi made up. Kisame had asked how that was possible and Sasuke only gave him a sidelong look before glancing at his brother. He led them into his home, one of the larger homes in the village, and left the Akatsuki pair for a moment, returning with a wrapped object, handing it over to Kisame.

"It's a scroll. Haku found it months ago. They just had their babies a few weeks ago, and Deidara's a month away from giving birth to his and Sasori's baby." Sasuke said as Kisame unwrapped the scroll to examine it, passing it unbound to Itachi before Sasuke could stop him. Itachi dropped the scroll as an electric shock drove up his arm, Sasuke making a grimace as he took the cloth from Kisame's hands and grabbed at the scroll, wrapping it tightly again. Itachi rubbed his arm and glared at his partner; Kisame could only shrug helplessly. Sasuke shook his head and moved to hide the scroll yet again. When he returned, he tilted his head at the Akatsuki pair, arms crossing over his chest.

"You can stay here for now," Sasuke offered, "There are a few spare rooms, and I'm sure the kids have cleaned up one."

"Where are you going?" Kisame asked as the younger man walked by them, leaving them in the hallway.

"I promised my genin we'd do a mission today."

Sasuke left the pair alone then and Itachi had the sneaking suspicion he wasn't going to like the next events.


	14. Chapter 14

XIV

Itachi had been right. He certainly didn't like the fact he'd got stuck with babysitting duty of two one year olds and an infant while his own stomach was slowly growing with his and Kisame's own child. His helper was Umi, Sasuke's kunoichi, but the girl was nowhere to be seen at the moment. He assumed she'd gone to chew out Kisame for leaving him alone, but the shark-like man had been right. One of them needed to go back and make a report, and even if the Leader knew Kisame was lying, there was no proof to do anything to Kisame, and besides, Sasuke looked enough like him now all he had to do was put on the Akatsuki cloak and Itachi's hat. Aoi and Akio never left his side as Itachi moved around Sasuke's house, the little one-year-old boys holding hands as they moved from room to room, cleaning and playing a little hide and seek games. If one didn't know Itachi, one couldn't help but assume Itachi was quite annoyed with the little children.

In reality, Itachi was feeling like a little kid himself, having a childhood he'd never had before with baby Akashi and the two one-year-olds. Aoi and Akio finally left his side when their 'big sister' Umi announced that she was home, Itachi following the boys to meet the twelve-year-old girl. The girl grinned as she held up a bag with a familiar symbol on it, and Itachi could only smile at the little girl in appreciation and let her lead Aoi and Akio into the kitchen for a snack of dango and cold green tea for Itachi and milk for the little boys. After, Umi helped Itachi put the boys down for a nap and left him to take his own, as per Kimimaru's orders ever since the elder Uchiha discovered he was pregnant. Umi closed the door halfway to Itachi and Kisame's room as she left Itachi to nap, moving to clean up their snack.

Her teammates shuffled in a few moments after she'd settled down to watch television, the boys settling down beside her, Sei with a bowl of popcorn and Kyo with a tray of drinks. They kept the volume and their voices low, looking up as Kisame and Sasuke walked in, the two elder ninja joining the three kids in the den. Their little trip was egged out of them by Umi, the three genin getting a quick lesson about their village's sisters. Kisame left Team Nine then, slipping into his bedroom to join Itachi on the bed. He stroked his fingers through Itachi's dark hair, smiling down at his partner's – his lover's – sleeping face. Kisame's hand drifted down over Itachi's throat, gently over his chest, until his hand finally rested on Itachi's stomach.

He could hardly believe that it was his child growing within his partner's false womb. He and Itachi had rolled around in bed many times before, their rough lovemaking often drawing blood from bites and nails, without any consequences like this. But Sasuke had explained to him about the scroll and Kisame couldn't take back anything he'd done now. Besides, in the two months that had passed since that night, he'd grown to love his unborn child as much as he loved Itachi, as much as he'd started to love this little Village Hidden in Silk. It was a safe place to raise his children, away from the Akatsuki and away from the danger he and Itachi faced and would face. Itachi stretched and rolled against his partner, snuggling close. Kisame couldn't think of a better place he wanted to be.

Orochimaru leaned against the windowsill and looked out at his village. Children ran among the adults who were decorating the village for a celebration. It was growing close to dusk, almost time for him to go down and begin the procession of lighting the candles, lighting the village up like a bright star. He slowly walked out of the den and found Kimimaru talking with Team Nine, the three ninja children dressed in special kimonos, each holding lanterns. Beside the older children stood now the two-year-old Aoi and Akio and the one-and-a-half-year old Akashi, the three dressed in their own kimonos. The young boys held sparklers, the three excited for their first Festival of Lights. Sasuke hovered nearby, still in his jounin uniform, watching the events unfold.

Umi was the first out the door, her lantern burning brightly, her voice teasing her teammates and the younger boys into hurrying and following, the children laughing as they ran through the village, joining their peers in play, adults watching carefully in case a lantern tipped or a sparkler burned tender skin. Orochimaru watched Sasuke leave after his students, watched him meet up with Kisame and Itachi and his nephews Satoru and Takeo. Sasuke smiled at his nephews and lifted Satoru into his arms, taking the little boy from his father. Itachi attempted a smile at his little brother, watching the younger Uchiha play with the elder of the twins. Satoru giggled at his uncle, the tiny boy trying to make a grab for Sasuke's hitai-ate. Satoru looked a lot like Kisame while Takeo looked more human. Still, Satoru had the black eyes of the Uchiha whilst his little brother had Kisame's piercing yellow eyes, proving their bloodlines. Still, the two boys had the love of their parents and those around them, and they had Sasuke to care for them when their parents had to move on for a while before returning.

Orochimaru could only smile as he watched the next generation of Silk play with those who would teach them, learning and teaching in their own right. The children would lead Silk into the future just like their counterparts in the other villages would lead theirs. He stepped out of his home with Kimimaru at his side, moving out to greet his ninja, the villagers, smiling a little smile.

Kinugakure, in Suzaku no Kuni, was truly alive at last.


End file.
